Chapter IX: Brave New World
Jason woke up on a patch of what seemed to be grass, holding Baka’s hand. he saw what he believed to be Grave Digger get up and begin walking towards a vague city skyline. The city appeared to be very advanced and in a state of emergency. The buildings were all falling down in a sea of fire, and the streets were lined with vehicles. There appeared to be some movement, but no signs of life. The area surrounding the city and leading out where the trio lay was impossible to see through the walls of hellfire that surrounded them. All the scenery was either burning or soon to be burned. Grave Digger turned around. He was a tall figure with a dark cowl that obscured his face. He wore a dark cloak embroidered with purple in the design of eyes and triangles. “Jason…” he began. “What… what the heck, man?!” “I… I don’t really know, dude. I used the powers that Baka gave me along with the talismans and tapped into my true potential… and then everything swirled around. More importantly, why aren’t you a sword or a skeleton?!” “You’re only half right about that,” Grave Digger began, pulling back his cowl. His head was a jet black skull with glowing purple eyes. His body seemed to be made of some sort of obsidian-like substance that shimmered in the burning light of this ruined land. “Wh…where are we?” Baka asked as she was roused from her sleep, rubbing her eyes. The sound of distant screams rose from somewhere in the fire. Jason looked around nervously. “I don’t know, but if we were sent here by the talisma-“ Jason began. “We weren’t,” Grave Digger interjected. “Jason, you used too much of your power. You ripped open a tear in the space-time continuum and forced the Talisman to use its transportive attributes. “That still doesn’t tell us where we are,” Baka pestered, refusing to be ignored. “I don’t have all the answers,” Grave Digger replied. “But… I feel that we’re still in our world, just in another time.” Just as he said that, they saw a figure emerge from the flaming city, and they almost couldn’t believe their eyes. It was Nessie, rising from the inferno, flames licking at her body. She let loose a cry as she collapsed to the ground just outside the city. “No… no way…” Jason began, stunned. Nessie did not move. “''Come on J-Dawg!” he thought to himself. “''What would Aquaman do?!” Steeling himself, Jason fell onto his side and flopped all the way to Nessie, where he attempted to splash water onto her, which wasn’t very effective, since he was nowhere near any body of water. Baka and Grave Digger watched from a distance, distraught at their leader’s desperation. However, Grave Digger quickly lost himself in thought. This place looked eerily familiar… Realization struck him, and he immediately realized that he needed to get Jason out of there before it happened. He reached out to get Jason away, but was interrupted by a shout. “Oh my go- Nessie?! Nessie!” It was Beth! She ran from the outskirts of the city towards Nessie, though she looked considerably younger, confirming Grave Digger’s assumption. Beth, in her distress, completely missed the man flopping around next to her, and wrapped her arms around Nessie’s neck, ear to her chest, trying to find some sign of life. “Beth…” came the voice of Nessie, soft, rasping, and tired. “Beth… I need you to do me a solid…” “…okay, I can,” Beth replied. Nessie opened her mouth wider and out rolled a bejeweled necklace, the Forest Talisman. “Hold onto this for me,” Nessie said as Beth took it out of her mouth and put it around her own neck. “Nessie… you know the Ent Queen power inside of me is growing stronger. I… I don’t know if I can…” “Just keep it safe,” Nessie stated with finality as she closed her eyes, and let out a final breath. “All six…” she said with her dying wind, “…are finally safe.” As Jason stared on in horror, Grave Digger grabbed him by his collar and dragged him away from the scene. “I told you,” came the voice of Beth from the Forest Talisman around Jason’s neck. “Nessie died in the Great Fire of Canada in 98.” “B-but how?!” Jason cried, his confusing almost overruling his horror. Suddenly there was a great flare of light, different from the light of the flames, and a loud boom. An image of Nessie appeared in front of the trio and stopped them in their tracks. “''I should probably tell you before you find it out on your own…” Nessie said solemnly. Before she could say anything else, Jason pimp-slapped the image! “I trusted you!” he screamed. “You were my ''idol, and I thought that you were immortal, water beast! I revered you and it turns out you lied… about everything!” "You’re right, Jason. You have every right to be mad, but I needed someone with enough swag to collect all the talismans…” “But… you lied? About your very existence!” Jason asked, on the verge of tears. “''No, you fool!”'' The image of Nessie said, and then pimp-slapped Jason back. “I am an immortal water being. I hate the term beast, to be honest. And the talismans ''are real. I can grant you my powers if you collect them all before it’s too late, and there is one you need here, now.” “If you are immortal then how did I just watch you die?” asked Jason. ''“Fool! I can exist in more than one state. The power of me loch defies time and space, to an extent. I ''did die in the fire, but my essence still clings to the reality you bring with you! My spiritual energy is so immense that I have been projecting my soul to you even after my death! I am the all powerful Nessie! Look upon my works ye mighty and quiver in they breeches!” Nessie said in a voice that echoed across the ages. And then the vision subsided, leaving only swirling dust before the corpse of the ancient beast. After everyone’s jimmies were finished being rustled, Baka spoke up. “So where do we go next?” Grave Digger put his hands to his skull and “closed his eyes.” A black film slid over the socket so that the purple fire inside was still visible, but veiled. “I still sense a source of power similar to that of a talisman in this world,” he said. “And… and also something that resonates with the level of power that comes from Baka’s GEM OF AMAZING POWER.” “That makes sense,” Jason chimed in. “We’ve gone back in time seven years. That means that the GEM OF AMAZING POWER still exists in this world. Beth is probably returning to the Forest Temple in this time, where it still sits. Grave Digger’s ghostly eyes snapped open. He hadn’t thought of that. “I’m… I’m so sorry,” Grave Digger said as he ran off into the flames, leaving Jason and Baka alone. “I expected that much,” came the voice of Talisman-Beth. “I knew from the moment I told that skeleton that the GEM was in my possession that he would drive himself to the ned of the world in order to find it. Even though he now has a body made from the Shadow-Talisman, he still longs for human flesh. This is no trivial matter, Jason. I know you want what’s best for your friend, but you ''must stop him from doing this. Our existence and actions in the past could destroy the future we came from, potentially creating a paradox! If he steals the GEM, what will happen to Baka?” “We have to stop him,” Baka said, resolutely. “Agreed,” Jason confirmed. “I can’t stand to lose you as we are.” Baka had to admit, she was enjoying this new sense of romance Jason was showing her. Then, out of the fire, a figure came stumbling out. He collapsed in front of them, his hands covering his face. “Please… please you’ve got to help… there’s a girl trapped in the fire… a young witch…” he began. “Who are you, and where did you come from?” Baka questioned the young man. “My name is Silas…” he said. “My friend Phoebe is trapped in the fire.” Jason and Baka were stunned into silence. “…a witch named… Phoebe?” asked Baka. “Jason,” she whispered quietly. “You don’t think that this guy is…” A piercing scream cut Baka off, and Jason wasted no time in leaping into the fray, Baka following close behind. The flames did their best to suffocate Jason, but he pressed on through the legendary disaster. He had thought ahead more than his swag-refined mind should have been capable of. If he pretended to be Silas when he rescued this Phoebe from the past, he could save her while erasing his presence. That was, of course, assuming he could actually find her, as he was having a difficult time navigating through the fire and flames, but Baka did not seem to be fazed. “Dag…” Jason panted. “Can’t breathe in all this… smoke… hnng!” he fell to the ground and clenched at his chest. “Don’t worry, I got this!” Baka said with a smile, and she created a magical shield around him. But something changed, and she lucked to her side, grasping at her chest. “My heart, or GEM, it burns…” Jason looked at her chest and the once vibrant glow of the GEM OF AMAZING POWER had died down to just a small flicker. He grabbed Baka as she fell, and the shield collapsed. “''I’ve got to find a way out of here, or else we’re both gonna die.”'' he thought to himself. He saw a building near that looked structurally intact and ran into it, slamming the door and collapsing beside Baka in the near-darkness. Though his strength was failing him, he decided to make sure that Baka was safe before retrieving Phoebe. It appeared that the fire wouldn’t take this building any time soon, so he looked down at Baka. She was breathing softly and sweating, and she appeared to be in pain. “''Those two GEMs are probably contesting with each other for dominance,” Jason thought to himself. ''“They’re so powerful, only one can exist at a time!” If he didn’t find the talisman soon, they’d be trapped in this world, and Baka would die. “Oh, thank goodness someone else made it!” came a voice from behind him. Jason turned instinctively to see a girl, perhaps only a few years older than him, with short auburn hair and emerald eyes covered by glasses. There was no mistake; this was Phoebe. Remembering his plan to act like Silas, Jason through the Palace of Shadows t-shirt off and wrapped it around his head. “Phoebe!” he said. “It’s me, Silas! I was on my way to save you when I found this girl. I threw her in here but I think I burned my face pretty bad.” “I’ll fix you up later; let me see what’s wrong with her!” Phoebe exclaimed as she went over to the duo. Jason watched her look over Baka and thought she might have even groped her a little too much for an examination. As he stood there, a little unsure how to feel while watching this, the door to the building was busted in and Grave Digger burst in carrying an unconscious Silas on his shoulder. “Who are you?” Phoebe asked in astonishment at the sight of the hulking skeletal mass. “That’s irrelevant,” he said back, then turned to Jason. “We have to get these two out of here before we all get cooked.” Jason picked up Baka and made sure Phoebe could move on her own before heading over to the door with Grave Digger. “What are you doing here?” Jason whispered to him. “And with Silas?! What if she finds out?” “If I find out what?” Phoebe asked. “That I’ve… joined a traveling hackey-sack team with this guy!” Jason piped up. “I didn’t know you played hackey-sack, Silas,” Phoebe replied, surprised and apparently oblivious to the real Silas hanging on Grave Digger’s shoulder. “I find it bracing and invigorating to toss the old sack around,” Jason replied. “Your voice sounds kinda funny, Si. Must be the smoke. You look more more veiny through the smoke too,” Phoebe said back. “I can explain that,” Jason started, panicking as he struggled to think up an excuse. “I’m… on steroids.” “Steroids? “Yes, steroids! I love me some steroids!” “Well that makes one of us. I don’t care for them myself, as you know,” Phoebe replied. “Where did you get this skeleton thing?” she asked, looking at Grave Digger. “It saved our skins!” “He’s um… and old friend of mine… from High School. There was an incident involving a Shadow Talisman and he sorta became a black-fire skeleton warrior.” Suddenly, Phoebe’s eyes narrowed. “A… Shadow Talisman?” “Ah, don’t worry about it!” Jason said, trying desperately to change the topic. “And who is that rather spooky skeleton carrying?” she continued to question. “That… that would be Salis!” Jason uncreatively made up on the spot. “He’s, um… the captain of my Hackey-Sack team?” “Okay,” Phoebe said, apparently accepting everything he said. “What do we do about her, though?” She pointed to Baka. “Well I think I know what’s wrong with her, but it’s hard to explain. I’m just gonna have to be straight up with you. Do you have any idea where to find a talisman that has nothing to do with Forests, Chicago, or Shadows?” “Yeah, there’s one in the old museum. We see it all the time, remember?” she replied, confused. “How could I forget?” Jason asked, slapping his head. “The fumes here must be getting to me or something. At that moment, Baka’s eyes lit up and her mouth gaped open. “Jason, I am inhabiting this young un’s body for as long as I can. Heed me, for if you do not retrieve the next talisman in three hours, Baka will be overpowered by the GEM OF AMAZING POWERS of this time and lose her powers. This process will kill her.” Nessie’s voice echoed through Baka. Phoebe jerked away from them, startled, and said, “Who’s Jason, what are you talking about?!” Sighing, Jason threw the Palace of Shadows t-shirt off of his head to reveal his luscious hair and handsome physique. “K girl, my name is not Silas. Silas is over there, being held by my #2spoopy friend.” He gestured to Grave Digger who was still holding past Silas over his shoulder. “I’ve been sent on a quest by Nessie to retrieve the Six Talismans, and if I don’t get the one in the museum and get taken back to the future, my friend here will die.” After hesitating a moment, Phoebe responded. “Well, I can’t get mad, as you did save me, and we can’t let a cute thing like that die, now can we? I’ll show you the way to the museum to help you.” They gathered their resolve and went deeper into the flames where the museum was. “Jason,” Grave Digger whispered on the sly. “I… I’m sorry about running off earlier. I thought that I’d be able to get my old body back if I took Beth’s Gem in this time, but I realized that I could endanger all of reality by upsetting the space-time continuum. We must be careful now.'' Our presence has altered the future, but not enough for us to be irrevocably removed. “What happened teh first time?” Jason asked, curious. Grave Digger said, “I never found help for Phoebe, and she ended up all on her own. I don’t know how that will effect her in our time, but it can only be good, I imagine.” Just as Jason was about to concur, he was interrupted. “We’re here!” Phoebe exclaimed. “The Great Museum of Canada!” It was a giant structure modeled in Greek style (Baka would have pointed out that it looked an awful lot like the Parthenon but she was busy dying) and had giant statues of maple leaves at the entrance. “Thank you for showing us the way,” Grave Digger began, and as he handed Silas over into her arms, he continued, “We’ll take it from here. You just take care of him.” Phoebe looked at him for a moment, her eyes a wave of confusion. “You… who exactly ''are you guys?” Jason chucked as he gazed into the flames, and he turned his back towards Phoebe to say, in an inspiring tone “We’re the $W@G Team!” Muttering something under his breath, Grave Digger followed him into the museum, throwing Silas down on the ground. He woke up gasping for breath. “Ph… Pheebs?” he asked, looking at her. “You’re okay! I… I tried to go find help but I don’t know if…” “Easy there, Si. Just rest. Everything’s going to be okay,” she whispered to him in a calming tone, looking over to the heroes as they marched into the museum.